EASTCHESTER, N.Y. – Gas prices seemed to be going down in Eastchester before
Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the East Coast, but in its wake, New Yorkers have found no relief at the pump when they go to fill up.

As of Friday afternoon, motorists in New York were paying an average of $3.96 per gallon for regular, the highest in the continental United States, according to AAA. The price is 3 cents lower than a week ago.

In Eastchester, the cheapest gas can be found at the Gulf and Mobil stations on White Plains Road for $4.09 per gallon. In Tuckahoe, the Mobil on Marbledale
Road has fuel for $3.99 a gallon.

Despite the rise in prices, motorists continue to fill up.

“It looked like things were getting better, then the hurricane hit,” one Eastchester resident said at Mobil. “It’s something we all have to do, it would just be nice to see the prices go down.”

It may be some time before prices start to drop. Robert Sinclair, the spokesperson for AAA New York, said that storm surges knocked out several refineries, hindering gas deliveries and causing gas prices to rise.

There may be no relief in sight, as the region continues to recover from the effects of Hurricane Sandy and the subsequent nor’easter that hit the area. Sinclair said that there is no timetable for complete restoration, and that prices have jumped as far as they have at any time since hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

“Most people aren’t talking about prices right now. They’re just happy to be getting gasoline. There has been as much as a 20-cent increase around us,” he said. “My gut says it will be a week or two until we get all the facilities back. They were pretty significantly damaged. It all hinges on when we can get these waterside terminals and refineries back up and running again.”